XLRI to award SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya

Recognising her efforts on handling gender issues in the banking sector, SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya would be awarded at the convocation of the premier XLRI-Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur.

At its 58th annual convocation to be held on March 22, Bhattacharya will be conferred the prestigious Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for industrial and social peace.

The award is given to heroic leaders who have contributed towards the growth of their organisations and also impacted the growth of our nation in a significant way.

XLRI director E Abraham said in a statement today that Bhattacharya, the first woman chairman of the State Bank of India, has always been sensitive and empathetic to gender issues in the bank.

He said that she had introduced a sabbatical facility upto two years for women employees in SBI Capital markets while she was MD and subsequently in the bank after she took over as the chairman.

Bhattacharya has also been a member of the expert committee of bankers to prepare a blueprint for the first all-women bank.

Last year, the medal was conferred on Shiv Nadar, founder and chairman of HCL and Shiv Nadar Foundation.

Image: SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya